


Further & Beyond

by EternalAutumn



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-06
Updated: 2014-03-29
Packaged: 2018-01-07 19:03:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1123289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalAutumn/pseuds/EternalAutumn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Rumpelstiltskin's supposed "death" to save Storybrooke from Peter Pan, Belle begins to question what really happened that day. Believing Pan may have played one final trick and trapped him in another realm, she, with the help of some friends, tries to formulate a plan to bring her true love back from what could be a fate worse than death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All Is Not As It Seems

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in a slight AU where no second curse happened and Storybrooke was not destroyed. 
> 
> I do not own OUAT or its characters, this is all just for fun.
> 
> This is my very first fanfiction, so please be kind. :-)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle's spent most of her nights crying herself to sleep since Rumpel died...But now she's starting to realize some things.

     It had been a month since Rumpelstiltskin had disappeared.

     "Disappeared" was the only "D" word that Belle was willing to use to describe what happened. She wasn't sure if that was her own wishful thinking, or if she truly didn't believe that he was the other "D" word...She forced herself to think it.

_Dead._

     But...could he really be dead? Belle had tried so hard to forget what she'd seen that day. Most of it had been seen through eyes blurred by tears. She knew what he'd intended to do from the second he looked at her. And that prophecy, _the boy will be your undoing_. "The boy" was never Henry, as Rumpel had assumed it was. It was always Peter Pan.

     She was still trying to process the fact that Pan was actually Rumpel's father. He'd looked no more than twelve or thirteen at best, but there was something about his face that, though Belle had never even formally met him, made it clear to her that he was an old soul. Old and sinister, and likely the only person in the world who could best the man she loved.

     No one ever got one up on Rumpel unless he wanted them to. Rumpel rarely made any sort of move without having an ulterior motive. This was something that normally made Belle uneasy; one of the habits she'd desperately wanted him to break, but just this once, she found herself hoping that this was all just another one of his smoke-and-mirrors tricks. There was a reason he wanted everyone to believe he was dead, she told herself. He'd make himself known to her in time, and all would be revealed.

     Only in her heart, she knew he wouldn't make her, or his beloved son, Baelfire, or Neal as he was going by these days, wait this long without giving some sort of sign.

But did that really mean the worst had happened?

     These were the questions that kept Belle up at night. Though she supposed it was better than crying herself to sleep, as she'd done for the first two weeks.

     But the more she thought about the situation, the more plausible it became, at least in her own mind. Even if it hadn't been Rumpel's intention to fake his own death, what if there was something more to this than what she was seeing? She certainly wouldn't put it past that terribly cunning Pan to play one last trick on his son before he died.

     There was no way that dagger had traveled through both their bodies. Belle had seen the dagger before, even held it once, and she knew it wasn't _that_ long. And wasn't that dagger the only thing that could truly kill the Dark One?

     Belle had read enough stories and seen enough magic to realize that something was afoot here. But what?

     That golden light that had appeared right before Rumpel and Pan disappeared...Could it have been some sort of magic spell? Belle thought once again about Pan and how she knew he wouldn't be satisfied until he destroyed Rumpel, even if he couldn't kill him. He had done something, sent him somewhere. She just knew it.

     But how could she even begin to figure out how to get him back, if she didn't even know where he was?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is incredibly short...It's just really Belle's thoughts on the whole situation and a kickoff to the story ahead.


	2. A Friend In Need, A Friend Indeed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby lends a listening ear to Belle's concerns, and is certain she knows who can help...

     Ruby had been to see Belle only a few times since the incident with Rumpel. She'd wanted to be there more, but, although she and Belle had been close before the memory-loss incident at the town line and the whole Lacey debacle, Ruby sometimes wasn't sure how to make Belle feel better. It was one thing trying to cheer up Snow; Snow was an eternal optimist. All the things that Charming had been through didn't seem to really affect her, but Belle...She _felt_ things on a level that Ruby had never really experienced before with another human being.

     Not that Ruby was, exactly, a normal human being. She was a wolf...Well, when the moon was full at night, anyway. And through some recent research she'd done with the help of her newfound kindred spirit Doctor Whale, or Victor Frankenstein as he'd been known pre-curse, Ruby realized her ancestry traced back to a different world entirely. It was a lot to take in, but she was trying her best to be a good friend to Belle on top of all that. She just wished there were more she could do, but deep down she knew the only thing that would help her friend would be if Rumpel came back. And she had no idea how to make that happen. She'd been told all her life that no magic could bring back the dead, and Victor (as she'd started to call him even in Storybrooke) was proof that science couldn't do it either, at least not in any decent way. So many times she'd heard the stories of his brother Gerhardt, and the pain that trying to resurrect him had created. She wouldn't dream of asking him to try that again.

     Not that anyone knew where Rumpel's body was anyway. Belle had repeated the story to her many times. There was an odd golden light, and then Pan and Rumpel were gone. Pan had been stabbed but Rumpel hadn't, at least that Belle had seen. Ruby only wished she'd been there to comfort her friend...Not that she would've had any idea how, but she supposed it would've been at least a _little_ easier than pep-talking herself after what she'd done to Peter, or trying to convince Victor for the hundredth time that he wasn't exactly _wrong_ in wanting to bring Gerhardt back...

     At any rate, human problems were probably less complicated than monster problems. Or at least she hoped so, for Belle's sake. And Rumpel always had a plan, didn't he?

     Ruby was pondering all this as she headed to the library to meet Belle, a tall glass bottle of iced tea in hand. It was the one thing she knew Belle liked, and the fact that Ruby made the effort put somewhat of a smile on her face at the very least.

     When Ruby got to the library, she found Belle at the usual spot she'd been in for the past month: Standing at the circulation desk, sifting through piles of books but not really looking at them.

     "Hi," Ruby said quietly, setting the iced tea bottle on an empty spot on the table.

     "Oh, hi!" Belle responded, looking slightly startled. Clearly she had been deep in thought about something, though she was staring at the back cover of a book that had no words on it.

     "How are you doing?" Ruby asked, immediately wishing she hadn't. "I'm sorry, stupid question, I know."

     Belle smiled tentatively.

     "It's not stupid," she assured her friend. "I appreciate your coming to check up on me, but I do wish I could be more entertaining company. I just spend so much time thinking about all of it..."

     "Replaying it all in your head, wondering if there was anything you could do to change the outcome?"

     "Exactly. If he had just let me go to the pawn shop with him when Pan was there, maybe I could've been of some kind of help...I mean, I did get Pandora's Box back to him after all, didn't I? He shouldn't have underestimated me, I could've--"

     "I don't think he meant to underestimate you," Ruby assured her. "He was incredibly protective of you. I saw that from the moment he came bursting into Granny's asking for you, that time your father tried to erase your memories. The way he pulled that car back in the mines...I've never seen that look in anyone's eyes before, it was so...Romantic..."

     Belle hung her head and Ruby once again wished she could take back what she'd just said.

     "I know," Belle choked out. "I shouldn't be angry with him for not wanting me near Pan, but...I just don't know what to think. I feel like there's something here I'm just not seeing."

     "You mean, a way to save him?" Ruby asked, moving to give her friend a much-needed hug. "Belle, you know what's dead has to stay dead, right?"

     "I do," Belle replied, resting her head on Ruby's shoulder. "Several people came to Rumpel asking for some sort of resurrection in the time I knew him, but his response was always the same. Not even the Dark One can bring back the dead, nor can fairy magic, though I'm sure Blue's having a party at the nunnery right now." She half-smiled at her own joke. "But I have to wonder...What if, by some chance, he _isn't_ dead?"

     Ruby wasn't sure what to say to that. She knew that Belle had been through a lot recently, from the loss of her memory to becoming Lacey, to then becoming Belle again and losing Rumpel in less than a day to Neverland...He'd barely been back a week before that fateful day. No, she hadn't been there when _it_ happened, but Belle had repeated the story to her several times already and nothing about it sounded good. There was only dead and alive, wasn't there? Wasn't Victor's struggle proof that anything that existed between life and death....shouldn't?

     She started to reply to Belle when Belle held up her hand, and took a big sip of the iced tea.

     "I'm sorry," she said, pretending to concentrate on the iced tea bottle. "That probably sounds crazy."

     "Look, I understand what it's like to want someone back so badly you'd believe anything," Ruby told her. "But, I also understand what it's like to be sorely disappointed in that capacity, and I just...wouldn't get my hopes up."

     "I know," Belle said sadly. "But it just doesn't make sense to me. The more I think about it, the more I question it. There was no body, no blood...I remember the dagger and it wasn't something that could stab through two people. Without that happening, then how did he..." she took a deep breath and forced herself to say it. "Die?"

     "Is it possible Pan did something to him that you didn't see?" Ruby asked.

     "That's just it!" Belle replied, her eyes wide. "I think he did do something, but whatever it is didn't kill him. There was a flash of golden light, as if some kind of spell was being cast. I don't think Rumpel is dead, Ruby. I think it's possible that Pan played one last devious trick and trapped him somewhere...Somewhere he can't contact me, or Baelfire, or anyone here. And knowing Pan it's likely somewhere horrible...Worse than being trapped inside Pandora's Box, even..." She trailed off, becoming overwhelmed with the terrible things that could be happening to her beloved right at that very moment. If Pan truly did pull something, there was one thing Belle knew:

     Whatever it was would be a fate worse than death.

     She sat down in her chair behind the circulation desk, feeling an odd sense of epiphany and defeat all at once.

     Ruby quickly moved to Belle's side again, crouched down and looked her friend straight in the face.

     "If you truly believe this, then we will figure it out."

     "But how?" Belle asked, the familiar sting of tears forming in her eyes. "I don't even know how many different realms and lands there _are._ How would I even begin to know where to start, or how to get there even if I did know where he was?"

     "Luckily for us, I know two people who can help!" Ruby said happily. Belle watched curiously as Ruby pulled out her phone and dialed the person who was number one on her speed-dial. "Hey, Victor? It's me. Can you meet Belle and I down at the library? Great! And can you bring Jefferson with you? We need some serious help. Okay, thanks. See you in a few. Bye."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of throwing Ariel out the window here. I've always loved Belle and Ruby as friends, so I just had to use her here instead.


	3. The Realm Jumper & The Mad Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby enlists the help of Jefferson and Doctor Whale, AKA Victor Frankenstein, to try and help figure out where Rumpel could be if Belle's theory is correct. But there could be more to this than most of them realize...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a headcanon of mine since "The Doctor" aired that Victor became Jefferson's traveling buddy at some point before the curse hit, and therefore would also know a little bit about worlds outside his own.

     About an hour later, Ruby stood staring at the library door.

     "Ugh, where are you?!" she cried out to no one in particular. Then she turned back to Belle. "I'm sorry, Victor's not exactly known for his punctuality. Especially when he and Jefferson get together. I've never met two men who can _talk_ as much as they do!"

     "Well, from you've said, it does sound like they have a lot to talk about," Belle replied. She was now thumbing through an old copy of _Frankenstein_ to try and familarize herself with Victor's story. She'd met him a few times, and had apologized profusely after he'd wound up on the wrong end of Rumpel's cane during the Lacey Era, but his story still fascinated her. Doctor Frankenstein was real, and he was in Storybrooke.

     She was taking a sip of her iced tea when she heard the door click open, and Ruby rushed to it, exclaiming "Finally!"

     Now Doctor Frankenstein was in her library. With the Mad Hatter.

     "It's about time!" Ruby said, as she ushered the two men in. "I'm sure you two were having a wonderful time recounting the good old days of realm-jumping, but we have bigger problems to tend to here!"

     "It was a surgery, actually," Victor said, smirking slightly.

     Ruby's face immediately went pale and all she could utter was a tiny "Oh." From behind the circulation desk, Belle slapped her palm to her forehead, obviously feeling bad.

     "Oh, come off it, Victor!" Jefferson suddenly exclaimed, rolling his eyes. He looked at Belle very seriously and said, "It was just a few simple stitches, that's all. I assure you you didn't pull him away from shoving a brain back in anyone's skull...Not that a few residents of this town couldn't use that."

     Belle laughed a bit in spite of herself. Even though she'd only known Jefferson a short time, she had always liked him. The man could make a joke out of nearly anything, but he was also incredibly insightful. And of course, she had him to thank for getting her out of the cell Regina had kept her locked in for twenty-eight years. She remembered that day, being re-introduced to Rumpel without having any idea who he was. If only she could go back to that...

     "Jerk!" Ruby cried out playfully, snapping Belle out of her nostalgic daydream. She looked up to see Ruby giving Victor a light slap on the shoulder. "You had us thinking you left someone bleeding out on the operating table for us!"

     "Nothing quite so dramatic," Victor replied. "That one dwarf just nicked his finger with the axe again."

     "That's the third time in two weeks!" Ruby said, wide-eyed.

     "And now you see why they call him Dopey," Jefferson said matter-of-factly, eliciting a giggle from the other three.

     "That's terrible," Belle squeaked out. She was desperately trying to pretend she wasn't laughing, but was failing miserably. Ruby was thrilled to see her friend looking happy again, if only for that brief moment.

     It was short-lived, though, as the moment Victor asked what was going on, Belle transformed back into that sad, unsure thing she'd become over the past month. Ruby was the only person she'd recounted the story of that terrible day to, and Ruby knew that every time she forced herself to relive it, Belle broke a little more. She went over and squeezed Belle's hand, encouraging her to tell the story one more time, certain that, if she truly was onto something, the realm-jumper and his old traveling companion, who also happened to come from a world full of all sorts of things that were difficult to explain, would be able to help her get to the bottom of it.

     "I suppose there's not really that much to tell," Belle began. "Rumpel said he knew what had to be done, stabbed Pan, or should I say his father? I think he...turned back into an old man somewhere during the process...and then there was this strange golden light. I felt almost immobilized by it, though that could have just been my emotions. The next thing I knew, they were gone." Her voice wavered a bit on the word _gone_.

     "We were wondering if it would've been possible for Pan to have cast a final spell, to trap Rumpelstiltskin somewhere he can't contact Belle, or anyone else," Ruby finished for her.

     "Is that crazy?" Belle asked, looking down at her feet.

     "If you want someone to call you crazy, you came to the wrong man," Jefferson replied with a smile. "All of the things I've seen throughout my life, I've started to think of 'crazy' as an extremely relative term."

     "So you think it could be true?" Belle asked him, a spark of hope igniting inside her.

     "It certainly could," Jefferson told her. "But the question is, _where_ would Peter Pan have sent Rumpelstiltskin?"

     "He said he traveled with you occasionally," Belle said, beginning to pace around the room. "Was there somewhere, maybe, that he couldn't stand? Somewhere that Rumpel would've considered it a punishment to have to spend eternity? It was my understanding that Pan always wanted to punish Rumpel for something...Punish him for existing, really." She shuddered, remembering the look that Pan had given Rumpel right before it all happened. Sure, she and her father had their own problems, and he'd done some things she'd never fully be able to forgive him for, but there was something terribly wrong with someone who would treat their child the way Pan treated Rumpel. At least Belle's father had reasons for the things he did, terrible as they were. Pan just flat-out refused to grow up and would rather his child die than have to take any responsibility for him. The whole thing disgusted her, and she almost hoped that, if she could find Rumpel in some other realm, she'd find Pan there too. Belle had never been a violent person, but she was fairly certain that, if she were to run upon Pan ever again, she could give him exactly what he deserved.

     "The thing about Rumpel," Jefferson said now, snapping Belle out of yet another fantasy. "Was that he wasn't interested much in traveling itself. He was focused on getting to a land without magic, and was more interested in objects I could procure to get him there than actually _going_ places himself. The times he did come with me, I don't think he really even noticed where he was."

     "So you don't think Pan would've sent him anywhere you took him in your hat?" Belle asked, feeling slightly defeated.

     "I wouldn't guess so," Jefferson replied. "At least not with punishment in mind. But that doesn't mean your theory is incorrect. There are some worlds that can't be traveled to, at least that I know of. And at least not by my hat."

     "That's because there are some worlds that no living being is meant to see."

     Belle, Ruby, and Jefferson all turned around to look at Victor, who had been quiet up until that moment.

     "I think I know where Rumpelstiltskin could be."


	4. The Realm of Lost Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor thinks he knows where Rumpelstiltskin is...but how can anyone get to him? And what would happen if they tried?

     Belle almost couldn't believe her ears. Sure, she'd turned many a theory over in her mind, but she really didn't expect anyone to have any idea where to start.

     "You do?" she asked Victor cautiously.

     "You have to understand," Victor began. "In my world, there are many things that a normal human being can't comprehend. And there was talk of things...Some people, like my father, for example, tried to deny it, but I knew it existed. I understood the world we were living in and knew that the things that lurked in the shadows were something more than normal humans could ever fathom."

     "Some people like to refer to them as monsters," Ruby jumped in. "Like in my case, or rather, the case of my great-great grandfather."

     "You mean, your family's not from the Enchanted Forest?" Belle asked her.

     "Not technically," Ruby answered. "I mean, they made a home there after him, wreaked a little havoc, you know, like wolves do, for generations, but we were never _supposed_ to exist in that world."

     "The werewolves originated in my world," Victor explained. "It's not for certain how Ruby's ancestor got out and into the Enchanted Forest, but we suspect there may have been a few realm jumpers around even back then."

     "As much as I'd like to call myself the first, I must give credit where it is due," Jefferson agreed. "For as long as those beans have been around, the realm jumping ability has existed. It's just a matter of knowing how to use it, and willingness to follow the rules."

     "But how does this relate to Rumpel?" Belle asked, trying to figure out where they were going with this story. Did Victor think Pan had sent to him to his world, because there were supposedly 'monsters' there?

     "But as I said, there are some worlds that can't be traveled to...at least not in the traditional ways," Victor said, walking over to Belle and looking her straight in the face. "What I'm about to tell you might not be easy to hear, or even believe at first, but you have to trust me."

     Belle nodded. She was willing to accept any and all beacons of hope at this point, and what could Victor tell her that could make her feel worse than she already did, having watched the man she loved die?

     "There was something that was talked about a lot in my world," Victor began, eyes darting around as he tried to figure out the best way to word what he was about to say. "I...I really started looking into it myself after what happened with Gerhardt. I thought maybe his soul could be there somehow, even if his body was still in my world. But it didn't matter, because there was no way I could get there anyway..."

     "You mean...?" Jefferson asked, catching onto where Victor was going with his story.

     "Yes," Victor replied. "Though I wish I didn't." He turned back to Belle and grasped her forearm as he spoke, as if afraid she was going to get up and run straight out of the room. "You see, Belle, there is a realm that exists between life and death. I believe in this world it would be considered something like purgatory. Lost souls wind up there. People with unfinished business, or those that can't accept death...It's a very dark place, and not one that any living person is supposed to see."

     "Are you saying that Rumpelstiltskin _is_ dead then, and is just trapped?" Belle asked, her voice cracking.

     "No," Victor assured her. "I'm saying I think Pan could have _sent_ Rumpelstiltskin to that world."

     "But how?" Ruby asked, able to tell from the expression on Belle's face that she was afraid to ask any more questions herself. "Didn't you just say that the living can't _get_ there?"

     "I never said the living couldn't _get_ there," Victor corrected. "I just said it's not a place _meant_ for the living. But if Pan knew about that realm, which I'd be willing to bet he did, that's where he'd want to send a person to endure a fate worse than death."

     "I've heard about places like that before," Belle said sadly. "In books, of course, and usually the general consensus is, once a lost soul enters that sort of a realm, there's no getting it back."

     "But that's just the thing," Victor told her. "Not _technically_ being dead, Rumpelstiltskin isn't a lost soul. He's a living person, there by mistake."

     "You used to talk to me about that realm, Victor," Jefferson reminded him quietly. "You always said it would be an enormous risk to even try to go there, because once a living person is in, it's hard to find their way out, and if the lost souls notice you..."

     "I want to go!" Belle said defiantly. She was tiring of sitting around crying, and making up scenarios. The man she loved was taken from her and she was ready to _do_ something about it, or possibly die trying. "I have to do something. If Rumpel is in that world and there's even a chance he could be saved, you have to let me do this."

     "I'm sorry, Belle," Victor said, shaking his head. "I wanted to go there more than anything myself, to try and find Gerhardt's soul, but it's not within everyone's power. But there was...talk...of people with a strange ability..." He trailed off, not sure if he should go on or not, as he saw the look of determination on Belle's face grow with every word he said.

     "What is it, Victor?" Ruby asked, urging him to go on, as Belle looked like she might explode at any moment.

     "You've opened the door, now you have to finish what you started," Jefferson added.

     "Well," Victor said hesitantly. "There are rumors that certain people possess the ability to travel to the realm between life and death. Or more accurately, to send their soul there. Most people that can do it, don't even realize it. They think they're dreaming, or imagining it somehow. People have been known to do it in their sleep, or even just in a daydream if they concentrate hard enough on taking themselves out of reality. It's hard to explain...It's something like astral projection, I would imagine, and it's important that the person be able to snap themselves out of it before things go...too far."

     "Well then, the answer is simple," Belle said. "We have to find someone with that ability."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole "world between the living and the dead" idea was inspired heavily by the Insidious movies. It was during a viewing of Insidious: Chapter 2 that I actually came up with the idea for this entire story. I hope everyone likes it. :-)


	5. Searching For A Sign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle and the others can't seem to think of anyone who would know how to travel to a realm between life and death, but in the meantime, Belle has decided to talk to the one other person who might be as determined as she is: Neal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for how long it's taken me to add to this. I've been all sorts of busy with "real" life, and most of my days have left me greatly uninspired. I hope this chapter is enjoyable, and I'll try to update more in the near future. I have many, many ideas now that OUAT is back from hiatus!

Belle had spent days thinking about what Victor had said, but, unfortunately, she and the others all found themselves at a loss for any idea of who might possess the ability to travel to a realm between life and death. She felt so lost at one point that she'd seriously considered asking Regina, but she didn't think that would end well. And she certainly wasn't about to ask the Blue Fairy...She was fairly certain she'd find the entire nunnery abuzz with confetti and fireworks after what had happened to the man they hated most.

It wasn't until a week later that she decided to talk things over with the one person who might be as interested in getting Rumpelstiltskin back as she was:

His son, Baelfire. Or Neal, as he was known, and insisted on being called, in this world. 

Belle hadn't officially "met" Neal until they all got back from Neverland. She was Lacey when he'd first come to Storybrooke, and she was fairly certain she'd said some nasty things to him during that time, but before she could formally apologize, he was gone again. She remembered Rumpel saying that their reunion was not at all what he'd hoped for; that Neal, or Bae as he still called him, and probably always would, was having a difficult time forgiving all that had happened those hundreds of years ago. 

He'd seemed a bit more open after Neverland. The three of them sort of became an odd little family in the short time between when they'd returned and when Rumpel...died? Left? Disappeared? Belle wasn't sure what to call it anymore.

When it happened, Neal seemed almost emotionless. She was certain that the others probably took it to mean he didn't really care; that he'd be happier with his father out of his life, but Belle knew that deep down inside, Neal did truly care about his father, and would want to know that there could possibly be a way to bring him back.

She took a deep breath as she walked up to Rumpel's house, where Neal had been staying, and rarely had left, since it all happened. Belle herself couldn't handle it there. She'd moved back into the apartment above the library. Being surrounded by her books kept her busy. Not that it really kept her mind off things, but she imagined being inside his house, surrounded by his things, would make it all just a million times worse.

She didn't know how Neal could stand it, but she felt he was stronger than most would give him credit for. He'd been alive for many years, and seen things, in both worlds, that most people probably couldn't even fathom. Belle had always felt that Neal and Rumpel weren't all that different, and she knew one day the would reconcile for certain...If only they could get Rumpel back.

Belle looked up at the house, remembering, and also hoping. If they could just figure something out, maybe they'd all be living there happily again. She rang the doorbell, listened to the very faint ring from the other side of the door, and waited.

After what seemed like years, she finally heard footsteps, and the door creaked open. There was Neal, looking dissheveled, but happy to see a familiar face.

"Belle!" he exclaimed, surprised, but again, happy. "How are you? You know you can drop by any time, right? I've just been..."

"I know," Belle replied. "It's just been so hard. But it's nice to see you again."

"Same here," Neal said, looking up at the sky. "I'm sure it would make Papa happy to see how well you're doing."

"I wouldn't exactly call it 'well'," Belle said sadly. "But...I've been talking to Ruby, and Victor and Jefferson...and we think...Well...We think there might be a way to get Rumpel back."

Neal's face went through a range of emotions in the next few seconds. Surprised, confused, excited, but most of all, hopeful.

He pushed the door open wider.

"Come in," he insisted. "Tell me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much more of Neal to come in the next chapter! I think the poor guy deserves much better than what he's been given on the show, to be honest...


	6. A Grieving Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle tells Neal of her recent realization of where Rumpel could be, and is surprised by Neal's reaction.

"Do you want some...tea...or something?" Neal asked as Belle made her way into the house. "I'm not really accustomed to having guests, but I'm sure my father left something here I could whip up...Maybe. Possibly." He looked around the room as if hoping a teacup would materialize out of thin air.

"I'm fine, Neal, thank you," Belle replied. 

Neal relaxed a little bit, then laughed to himself.

"If Papa does come back, he will have a _fit_ if he finds out you came here while he was gone and I didn't make sure you were comfortable and happy."

"That does sound like him," Belle laughed, thrilled to hear Neal referring to his father as 'Papa'. She sat down on the couch, unsure where to begin with the strange discovery she and the others had.

Luckily for her, Neal seemed quite eager.

"So," he began. "What did you figure out?"

"Well, that day...when Rumpel...died...or we all thought he did, didn't it seem strange to you? There was no blood, his body didn't go limp or anything. Just that golden light and then he was gone. I thought about it every day..." Belle trailed off, trying to shake the sick feeling she got every time she talked about this.

"So did I," Neal replied. "Still can't get it out of my head, actually."

"But that's just the thing! The more I thought about it, the more _wrong_ it seemed, and not just because I didn't want to believe it. I mean, how, exactly, did Rumpelstiltskin _die?_ He didn't stab through his father and himself with the dagger. Ruby, Jefferson, Victor and I think Pan may have played one last trick on his son."

"A trick?" Neal asked. "What kind of trick?"

"We think Pan may have sent Rumpel somewhere. Somewhere he'd endure a fate worse than death."

"But where would that be?" Neal asked, looking to the ceiling as he ran through different realms he'd heard of in his head. "Is it possible he sent him back to Neverland somehow?"

"I thought of that too," Belle replied, "But Neverland is only fun for Pan if he's there to torture everyone, or so I understand." She shuddered. "But Victor...He told me about a place...a realm...that exists between life and death."

"A realm of lost souls," Neal said. 

"Yes," Belle confirmed, not realizing Neal's comment was definitely a statement rather than a question.

"And how would one _get_ to this realm?" Neal asked, somewhat breathlessly. Belle was too caught up in her story to realize his face had gone pale.

"Victor says there are people with strange abilities. Something like astral projection; they can send their souls there, without even realizing it."

"And they think it's all a dream," Neal finished.

"Yes, he said most people who can do it, do it in their sleep, or even in a deep daydream, if they concentrate hard enough on putting themselves somewhere else. But the problem is, I don't know where to find anyone with that sort of ability."

"But if someone were to go there..." Neal said slowly. "You think they could...pull my father back out?"

"If he's not truly dead, then he doesn't belong there," Belle answered. "Victor says this realm is no place for the living."

"It isn't," Neal said under his breath.

"I must say you seem to know a lot about this," Belle told him. "I was afraid you'd think I was crazy. Is it possible you know someone who can do what we need?"

Neal took a deep breath and pinched his forehead.

"I do," he said, and Belle's eyes lit up. "Me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is a bit short, it really was just meant to be a little conversation leading up to the BIG reveal!


End file.
